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PREVIEW: LEWIS WATSON at 3rd & LINDSLEY on 3/15/17

“I’ve heard all about the BBQ, I can’t wait,” says wunderkind Lewis Watson in his enchanting British accent. In celebration of the release of his sophomore album, midnight, on March 24th, Watson is touring the continent, which will bring him to 3rd & Lindsley to perform for the first time in the Music City on Wednesday, March 15th. “It’s a place I’ve always wanted to play,” he continues. “As a singer/songwriter, it’s like the mecca. Initially, I was quite scared when we booked the date; it’s got a massive legacy and that was quite daunting at first, but now I’m just excited.”

The young poet is a musical anomaly in his family, and admits that he used to believe that learning to play guitar was an impossible task. “I wish I had started when I was younger, but no one in my family had that experience, and I didn’t know where to start,” he recalls. “On my 16th birthday, I asked for a really cheap guitar; I basically watched people on YouTube and tried to replicate that.” Watson, who had no laptop or recording equipment, began uploading his own videos to YouTube under an unknown name so that he could critique himself as he spent time between his parent’s respective houses. “People started finding them,” he says. “I almost deleted the channel, but people were positive, and then they started asking for original content, and it snowballed from there.”

Watson recorded the tracks for midnight almost two years ago; “I’m incredibly proud of it, I’ve invested a lot of time and I funded it myself. It’s two and a half weeks of my friends and me in a room creating music, and I can’t wait for people to hear it,” he declares of the album, 10 songs of sheer beauty that could soothe even the most turbulent of souls. “I’ve been so anxious to release it and send it off into the world. When it comes out, I might explode! I didn’t want to rush anything, though. My first album felt so rushed, and it hurt the memories of it for me. I’m really proud of that one too, but you only have one first album, and the circumstances weren’t as romantic as I’d hoped they would be,” he admits. “I didn’t want to go through that again. I was worried I might outgrow the songs in the meantime, but I haven’t, I’ve been rationing my listens, and it’s helped me retain my excitement.”

Still too young to rent a car, he’s taking to the skies to get to each show, and he’s doing all alone. “I usually have someone with me, but I’m by myself. I’d be lying if I said I was comfortable, it’s actually quite strange. It’s good though, it’s about time I had some responsibility and have to set some alarms and worry about getting on the planes on time,” he says with a laugh. Everyday, he finds himself in a different state, constantly moving. “It’s taking my mind off the album coming out, and I’d probably be losing a lot more sleep over it if I wasn’t so busy. I’ve never done something quite like this,” he explains. “There are times when I don’t enjoy my own company, and I was nervous about doing it alone, forgetting gear, or what have you. It’s good to be chucked into the deep end and have to take care of everything,” he adds with a laugh. “It’s rare that I get this much time to listen to music, and write and reflect. It’s been fun.”